CN107111379B - Position indicator - Google Patents

Position indicator Download PDF

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Publication number
CN107111379B
CN107111379B CN201680004386.0A CN201680004386A CN107111379B CN 107111379 B CN107111379 B CN 107111379B CN 201680004386 A CN201680004386 A CN 201680004386A CN 107111379 B CN107111379 B CN 107111379B
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
core
position indicator
circuit
hole
opening
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Active
Application number
CN201680004386.0A
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Chinese (zh)
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CN107111379A (en
Inventor
金田刚典
藤塚广幸
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Wacom Co Ltd
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Wacom Co Ltd
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Publication of CN107111379A publication Critical patent/CN107111379A/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0354—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
    • G06F3/03545—Pens or stylus
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K8/00—Pens with writing-points other than nibs or balls
    • B43K8/22—Pens with writing-points other than nibs or balls with electrically or magnetically activated writing-points
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K24/00—Mechanisms for selecting, projecting, retracting or locking writing units
    • B43K24/10—Mechanisms for selecting, projecting, retracting or locking writing units for selecting, projecting and locking several writing units
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K27/00—Multiple-point writing implements, e.g. multicolour; Combinations of writing implements
    • B43K27/003—Multiple-point writing implements, e.g. multicolour; Combinations of writing implements only one holder being used either for the pencil or the pen
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K29/00—Combinations of writing implements with other articles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K7/00—Ball-point pens
    • B43K7/005—Pen barrels
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
    • B43K—IMPLEMENTS FOR WRITING OR DRAWING
    • B43K7/00—Ball-point pens
    • B43K7/12—Ball-point pens with retractable ball points
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/038—Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
    • G06F3/0416—Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
    • G06F3/04162—Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
    • G06F3/044—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means
    • G06F3/0441—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
    • G06F3/044—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means
    • G06F3/0442—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
    • G06F3/046—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by electromagnetic means

Abstract

Provided is a position indicator which can be configured at low cost and is provided with a plurality of cores that do not cause discomfort in the exchange of signals with a sensor unit of a position detection device. The disclosed device is provided with: a cylindrical housing having an opening at one end; a plurality of cores housed within the housing; a core selection mechanism portion that selectively projects at least a tip end of one of the plurality of cores from the opening portion; and a magnetic core disposed on one end side of the case having the opening and around which the coil is wound. The core has a through hole into which one of the plurality of cores can be inserted and passed and which communicates with the opening, and the core selected by the core selection mechanism portion is not located at a position separated from the through hole of the core, and at least the tip of the core selected by the core selection mechanism portion protrudes from the opening to the outside through the through hole.

Description

Position indicator
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a position indicator used with a position detecting device.
Background
Conventionally, among pens as a writing implement, there is a pen in which a plurality of ball-point pen refills filled with different colors of ink are accommodated in a common casing, such as a multicolor ball-point pen. With this multicolor ballpoint pen, it is possible to note a plurality of colors with one pen without holding a plurality of pens having different colors of ink, which is very convenient.
A position indicator called an electronic pen is known as a means for inputting instructions to a mobile terminal such as a tablet personal computer or a mobile phone terminal. In general, a portable terminal using such a position indicator as an input means includes a position detection sensor superimposed on a display screen, and can receive a detailed instruction and operation input of the position indicator on the display screen. Further, the use of the position indicator is useful for enabling a slim input instruction, which is difficult to input, such as a mouse or a finger.
As one of the operations in the position indicator, there is a case where an image is drawn. In the conventional art, a menu such as a color of a line to which an instruction input is performed by a position pointer is presented on an electronic device such as a portable terminal equipped with a position detection device used together with the position pointer, and a color desired by a user of the position pointer is selected from the menu to change an input color of the position pointer. Alternatively, there is also a case where a plurality of electronic pens set to a predetermined color are used.
Furthermore, there are cases where, for example, a bill or a contract is placed on a sensor for detecting the indicated position of the position indicator, and the document is directly signed while a handwriting is desired to be electronically left. In such a case, for example, as described in patent document 1 (japanese patent laid-open No. 2012-234423), the position indicator is realized by adding a core of a ball-point pen to a housing of the position indicator.
Documents of the prior art
Patent document
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2012 and 234423
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
As described above, there is a strong demand for electronic pens (position indicators) that can cope with the diversification of use modes in recent years. Therefore, a position indicator having a plurality of functions of the electronic pen corresponding to a plurality of colors, functions, or the like is considered. As one approach, there is a method of making an electronic pen into a cartridge and adding the cartridge to a case similar to that of a multi-color ballpoint pen in the same manner as a refill of the ballpoint pen.
As an example of a position indicator using this approach, although not known, a position indicator 1M as shown in fig. 7 is considered. In the position indicator 1M of this example, as shown in fig. 7 a, 3 position indicator cartridges 3R, 3B, and 3E are housed in a housing 2M, 1 of the 3 position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E is selected by a knock mechanism, and the tip of the selected position indicator cartridge is used while protruding from an opening 2Ma on the tip side of the housing 2M.
Here, the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E of this example are each of a type coupled to a position detecting device by an electromagnetic induction method, and are configured to have the same size as a replacement core of a commercially available knock-type ball-point pen, and to have a structure compatible with the replacement core of the commercially available ball-point pen. Therefore, the housing 2M has the same structure as that of a commercially available knock-type multicolor ballpoint pen and a knock mechanism, and the commercially available knock-type multicolor ballpoint pen can be used as it is.
The position indicator cassettes 3B, 3R, and 3E of the position indicator 1M in the example of fig. 7 all have the same configuration, but the functions thereof, for example, the color of the lines, the types of the lines such as the solid lines and the broken lines, and the like are assigned based on the identification information sent from the position indicator cassettes 3B, 3R, and 3E.
For example, the position indicator box 3B is assigned a function of indicating a trajectory (character or graphic) displayed according to the indicated position thereof using black, the position indicator box 3R is assigned a function of indicating a trajectory displayed according to the indicated position thereof using red, and the position indicator box 3E is assigned a function of deleting a trajectory for which an instruction input has been previously performed according to the indicated position thereof.
The position detection device used together with the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E receives the identification information transmitted from the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E, and discriminates the difference among the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E so as to realize the function of assigning to the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E.
Fig. 7(B) is a diagram showing a configuration example of the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E. Fig. 7(C) is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the main part of the position indicator cassettes 3B, 3R, and 3E shown in fig. 7 (B).
As shown in fig. 7(B), the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E have a structure in which the core portion 31 and the cylindrical portion 32 are integrally coupled. As shown in fig. 7(C), the core portion 31 has the following structure: a coil 311 is wound around a part of the core, and a portion around which the coil 311 is not wound is covered with a protective material 312 to form a pen tip portion 313, in this example, the core is a ferrite core 310.
The cylindrical body portion 32 is composed of a first cylindrical body portion 321 in which electronic circuit components are arranged and a second cylindrical body portion 322 in which a member for detecting pen pressure is arranged. As shown in fig. 7(C), a printed circuit board 33 is disposed in the first cylindrical body portion 321 of the cylindrical body portion 32, and a circuit member 34 including a capacitor that forms a resonance circuit together with the coil 311 is provided on the printed circuit board 33.
The core 31 and the first cylindrical portion 321 of the cylindrical portion 32 are integrally coupled to each other, for example, in a state where a part of the ferrite core 310 of the core 31 is inserted into the first cylindrical portion 321.
In this example, the second cylindrical body 322 is formed of a cylindrical body having a diameter equal to the diameter of the ink containing portion of the refill of a commercially available ballpoint pen. As shown in fig. 7(B), the second cylindrical body 322 is divided into two long portions 322a and short portions 322B, and a pressure detecting member 36 is provided in the vicinity of the joint 35.
As shown in fig. 7(C), the long portion 322a and the short portion 322b are coupled in the coupling portion 35 via the link member 351 and the coil spring 352. At this time, the long portion 322a and the short portion 322b are elastically displaced by the coil spring 352 so as to be always spaced apart from each other in the axial center direction, but are locked at predetermined positions by the link members 351 so as not to be displaced further in the axial center direction.
As shown in fig. 7(C), the long portion 322a is provided with a pressure detection member 36. The one end 351a side of the link member 351 also functions as a pressing portion of the pen pressure detecting member 36.
The pen pressure detecting means 36 of this example is used in, for example, patent documents: in the pen pressure detection unit having a known structure described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-186803, the capacitance of the variable capacitor changes according to the pen pressure.
When pressure is applied to the distal ends of the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E, the entire position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E on the long portion 322a side acts as a force to move toward the short portion 322B side against the elastic force of the coil spring 352, and the capacitance of the pen pressure detecting member 36 becomes a capacitance corresponding to the pen pressure. Therefore, by detecting the capacitance of the pressure detection member 36, the pressure (pen pressure) applied to the tip of the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E can be detected.
The position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E configured as described above are respectively accommodated in the housing 2M by fitting the holding portions 4 into the striking rods 5B, 5R, and 5E constituting a part of the striking mechanism of the position indicator 1M. Then, by sliding any one of the knock bars 5B, 5R, and 5E toward the nib side, the nib (tip) of any one of the position indicator cartridges 3B, 3R, and 3E protrudes. By electromagnetically coupling a resonance circuit including a coil 311 wound around the ferrite core 310 of the position indicator case having the protruding tip and a capacitor, not shown, and a sensor of the position detecting device, a signal can be exchanged between the position indicator case having the protruding tip and the position detecting device to indicate a position.
The position indicator 1M configured as described above has an advantage that a case of a multi-color ball-point pen of a commercially available writing instrument can be used as it is, but has the following problems.
That is, the position indicator 1M is a position indicator cartridge that can be replaced with a replacement cartridge of a commercially available ball point pen. Each of the position indicator cartridges includes a portion in which a coil is wound around a ferrite core, and exchanges signals with a sensor side of the position detection device by electromagnetic induction (resonance operation).
Further, since the position indicator 1M is a structure in which a plurality of position indicator cartridges are accommodated in one case, the ferrite cores and the coils of the plurality of position indicator cartridges are adjacent so as to be adjacent in the case. Therefore, each time a signal is exchanged between the position indicator cartridge and the sensor of the position detecting device, the resonance circuit of the adjacent position indicator cartridge may interfere with each other.
Each position indicator cartridge needs to include a coil wound around a ferrite core, and also needs a predetermined circuit. Therefore, each position indicator cartridge is expensive, and there is a problem that a user who wants to use a plurality of types of position indicator cartridges (for example, black, red, eraser, etc.) is increased in cost.
An object of the present invention is to provide a position indicator capable of solving the above problems.
Means for solving the problems
In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a position indicator comprising:
a cylindrical housing having an opening at one end;
a plurality of cores housed within the housing;
a core selection mechanism portion that selectively projects at least a tip end of one of the plurality of cores from the opening portion; and
a magnetic core disposed on the one end side of the case having the opening and around which a coil is wound,
the magnetic core has a through hole into which one of the plurality of core bodies can be inserted and passed and which communicates with the opening portion,
the core selected by the core selection mechanism is not located at a position separated from the through hole of the core, and at least the tip of the core selected by the core selection mechanism protrudes from the opening to the outside through the through hole.
In the position indicator of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the magnetic core around which the coil is wound is disposed on the one end side having the opening portion of the cylindrical case having the opening portion on the one end side. The plurality of cores are accommodated in the case, the core selected by the core selection mechanism is not located at a position separated from the through hole of the core, and at least the tip of the core selected by the core selection mechanism protrudes from the opening to the outside through the through hole.
That is, in the position indicator of the present invention, the ferrite core common to the plurality of cores is disposed on one end side of the case where the opening is formed, and the coil is wound around the ferrite core, so that the signal can be exchanged with the sensor of the position detecting device. Therefore, according to the present invention, a commercially available ball point pen core or electronic pen core can be attached to the housing without using the position indicator cartridge described above.
Since the position indicator in which the coil is wound around the single ferrite core common to the plurality of cores is used, the interference as in the case of the plurality of position indicator cartridges described above does not occur, and since a commercially available ball pen core or electronic pen core can be used, the cost can be reduced.
Effects of the invention
According to the present invention, since no special structure such as a position indicator cartridge is required as a component, it is possible to achieve an effect of being configured at low cost and preventing discomfort such as interference in signal exchange with a sensor portion of a position detection device.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a position indicator according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a main part of an embodiment of a position indicator according to the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic circuit according to an embodiment of the position indicator of the present invention together with an example of the circuit configuration of a corresponding position detecting device.
Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the position indicator according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the position indicator of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the position indicator of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a position indicator not known in the related art.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the position indicator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the overall configuration of a position indicator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2(a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the position indicator 100 according to the embodiment. Fig. 2(B) is a diagram showing a configuration of the case 101 of the position indicator 100 according to the embodiment on the opening portion side from which the tip of the core protrudes.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2a, the position indicator 100 of the present embodiment accommodates two cores, i.e., a first core 102 and a second core 103, in a housing 101, and a tip (a tip 102a of the core 102 in the example of fig. 2a) of a core (the core 102 in the example of fig. 2a) selected by a core selection mechanism, out of the two cores 102 and 103, protrudes from an opening 101a formed on one end side in the axial direction of the housing 101. In this example, the opening 101a is formed in the first housing 111.
The housing 101 is formed of a cylindrical body having an opening 101a at one end. In this example, as shown in fig. 2, the housing 101 is integrally coupled to the core holder 104 by coupling a first housing part 111 and a second housing part 112, which are divided into two parts in the axial direction. The opening 101a of the housing 101 is formed on the opposite side of the first housing portion 111 from the side coupled to the core holder 104.
The core holder 104 includes through holes 104a and 104b through which the 2 cores 102 and 103 are inserted. As shown in fig. 2(a), the first housing portion 111 is screwed to the core holder 104 in the screw portion 104c of the core holder 104. The second housing part 112 is fitted and coupled to the fitting part 104d of the core holder 104.
In the second housing portion 112, a first tapping operation portion 120 for the first core 102 and a tapping operation portion 130 for the second core 103 are provided, and a stopper 140 is provided. First click operation portion 120 includes a projection 121 projecting outward from a notch 112a formed in second housing portion 112, projections 122 and 123 projecting in the central axis direction of second housing portion 112, and a notch 124 engaging with stopper 140. Similarly, second click operation portion 130 includes a projection 131 projecting outward from a notch 112b formed in second housing portion 112, projections 132 and 133 projecting in the central axis direction of second housing portion 112, and a notch 134 engaging with stopper 140. A recess 141 that engages with the notch 124 of the first click operation portion 120 or the notch 134 of the second click operation portion 130 is formed at the tip of the stopper 140.
Further, the first tap operation portion 120 and the second tap operation portion 130 are provided with pen pressure detection members 105 and 106 at end portions thereof on the opening 101a side in the axial direction. The pressure detecting means 105 and 106 are used, for example, in the aforementioned patent documents: in the pen pressure detection unit having a known structure described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-186803, the capacitance of the variable capacitor changes in accordance with the pen pressure.
After the end of the first core 102 opposite to the tip 102a is inserted through the through hole 104a of the core holder 104, the first core 102 can be coupled to the first click operation portion 120 by press-fitting a fitting portion (not shown) of the pressure detection member 105 provided in conjunction with the first click operation portion 120. Thereby, the first core 102 can be accommodated in the case 101.
Similarly, the second core 103 can be coupled to the second knock operation portion 130 by inserting the end of the second core 103 opposite to the distal end 103a through the through hole 104b of the core holder 104 and then press-fitting the fitting portion of the pressure detecting member 106 provided in conjunction with the second knock operation portion 130. This allows the second core 103 to be accommodated in the housing 101. In this state, the variable capacitor constituted by the pen pressure detecting members 105 and 106 can exhibit an electrostatic capacitance corresponding to the pressure applied to the distal ends 102a and 103a of the first core 102 and the second core 103.
Further, since the first core 102 and the second core 103 can be attached by fitting them to the pressure detection means 105 and 106, it is needless to say that they can be replaced.
As shown in fig. 1, one end and the other end of the variable capacitor formed by the pressure detection member 105 and one end and the other end of the variable capacitor formed by the pressure detection member 106 are electrically connected to the conductor pattern of the printed circuit board 150 disposed in the second housing portion 112, respectively. The printed Circuit board 150 is provided with a control Circuit 400 and the like, which are formed of, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit). As described later, the control circuit 400 calculates the detected pen pressure value based on the capacitance of the variable capacitor formed by the pen pressure detecting means 105 and 106, respectively.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2(a), a spring 125 in a state in which the first core 102 is inserted is provided between the core holder 104 and the pressure detecting member 105. As shown in fig. 1 and 2(a), a spring 135 in a state in which the second core 103 is inserted is provided between the core holder 104 and the pressure detecting member 106. These springs 125 and 135 are elastic members for returning the knocking operation portions 120 and 130 to their original positions.
In this example, the knocking operation portions 120 and 130, the stopper 140, and the springs 125 and 135 constitute an example of the core body selection mechanism. That is, the user can slide any one of the protruding portions 121 and 131 of the click operation portions 120 and 130 protruding from the notches 112a and 112b formed in the second case 112 in the direction of the opening 101a (hereinafter, referred to as the nib direction) against the elastic force of the spring 125 or 135 while being guided by the notch 112a or 112 b.
When any one of the click operation portions 120 and 130 slides to a predetermined position, the notch 124 or 134 of the click operation portion 120 or 130 that slides is fitted into the recess 141 of the stopper 140 and locked at the position. Fig. 2(a) shows a state in which the tap operation portion 120 slides and the tip 102a of the first core 102 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside of the housing 101. By projecting the tip 102a outward in this manner, the first core 102 is in a state capable of receiving a pen pressure.
As shown in fig. 2(a), when the tip 102a of the first core 102 protrudes outward, the tip 102a of the first core 102 can be returned to the state of being accommodated in the housing 101 and the tip 103a of the second core 103 can be changed to the state of protruding outward of the housing 101 by sliding the second click operation portion 130 in the pen tip direction.
At this time, when an operation (tapping operation) of sliding the protrusion 131 of the second tapping operation portion 130 in the pen tip direction is performed, the protrusions 132 and 133 of the tapping operation portion 130 operate to press the first tapping operation portion 120 in the direction of the notch 112 a. Thereby, the cutaway groove 124 of the first knocking operation portion 120 is disengaged from the recess 141 of the stopper 140. Then, the first click operation portion 120 is urged in the direction opposite to the pen tip direction by the restoring force of the spring 125 and moves along the stopper 140, and the tip 102a is accommodated in the housing 101.
The second click operation portion 130 is engaged with the recess 141 of the stopper 140 through the notch 134, and is locked at this position. When the first click operation portion 120 is slid in the nib direction from this state, the protrusions 122 and 123 of the first click operation portion 120 are similarly operated to press the second click operation portion 130 in the direction of the notch 112 b. Accordingly, the notch 134 of the second click operation portion 130 is disengaged from the recess 141 of the stopper 140, and the second click operation portion 130 is urged in the direction opposite to the nib direction by the restoring force of the spring 135 and moves along the stopper 140, so that the tip 103a of the second core 103 is accommodated in the housing 101, and instead, the tip 102a of the first core 102 protrudes outside the housing 101.
As described above, the position indicator 100 according to the present embodiment is switched to any one of the state (first state) in which the tip 102a of the first core 102 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside, the state (second state) in which the tip 103a of the second core 103 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside, and the state (third state) in which both the first core 102 and the second core 103 are accommodated in the housing 101 by the tap operation.
In the position indicator 100 of the present embodiment, a ferrite core 161, which is an example of a core, is disposed on the opening 101a side of the first housing portion 111. A coil 162 is wound around the ferrite core 161. As shown in fig. 1, one end 162a and the other end 162b of the coil 162 are electrically connected to the conductor pattern of the printed circuit board 150.
As described later, the printed circuit board 150 is provided with a capacitor (capacitor 401 in fig. 3) connected in parallel with the coil 162 to form a resonance circuit. The resonant circuit is used to exchange signals between the position indicator 100 and the sensor of the position detection device, and the position detection device can detect the position indicated by the position indicator 100.
As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2(a) and (B), the ferrite core 161 has a through hole 161a through which the first core 102 or the second core 103 is inserted. The ferrite core 161 is disposed at the end of the first case 111 on the opening 101a side such that the center axis position of the through hole 161a coincides with the center axis position of the case 101 and the through hole 161a communicates with the opening 101a of the case 101.
As shown in fig. 2(B), the diameter of the through hole 161a on the opening 101a side is the same as the diameter R1 of the opening 101 a. The diameter R2 of the through hole 161a on the side opposite to the opening 101a is selected to be larger than the diameter R1 on the opening 101a side (R1 < R2). In this case, as shown in fig. 2(B), the diameter R2 of the through hole 161a on the side opposite to the opening 101a is preferably as follows: in a state where the tip 102a of the first core 102 and the tip 103a of the second core 103 are accommodated together in the housing 101 (the third state described above), extensions of the center lines 102z and 103z of the tip 102a of the first core 102 and the tip 103a of the second core 103 are contained within the diameter R2.
The inner wall surface of the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161 is formed in a tapered shape to gradually decrease from the diameter R2 to the diameter R1. Here, the tapered surface of the inner wall surface of the through hole 161a may not be changed linearly as long as the diameter gradually decreases from the diameter R2 to the diameter R1.
As shown in fig. 2(a) and (B), the ferrite core 161 is fixed in a state of being pressed against the opening 101a side of the first case 111 by the fixing member 163. The fixing member 163 is a member having an annular shape with a through hole 163a, and the diameter of the outer peripheral side surface thereof is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the first housing portion 111 or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first housing portion 111. The fixing member 163 is fixed in the first case 111 by, for example, bonding the outer peripheral side surface of the fixing member 163 to the inner wall surface of the first case 111, and the ferrite core 161 is also fixed in the first case 111.
The fixing member 163 is configured such that the through hole 163a communicates with the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161, and the central axis position of the through hole 163a matches the central axis position of the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161. As shown in fig. 2(B), the diameter R3 on the opening 101a side of the through hole 163a of the fixing member 163 has a value equal to or smaller than the diameter R2 on the opposite side of the opening 101a side of the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161 (R3 ≦ R2).
Further, the diameter R4 of the through hole 163a of the fixing member 163 on the side opposite to the opening 101a side is selected to be a value larger than the diameter R2 of the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161 on the side opposite to the opening 101a side (R4 > R2).
The inner wall surface of the through hole 163a of the fixing member 163 is tapered so as to gradually taper from the diameter R4 to the diameter R3. Here, the tapered surface of the inner wall surface of the through hole 163a may not be changed linearly as long as the diameter gradually decreases from the diameter R4 to the diameter R3.
As a result of the diameters R3 and R4 of the through hole 163a of the fixing member 163 being selected as described above, as shown in fig. 2B, in a state in which the distal end 102a of the first core 102 and the distal end 103a of the second core 103 are both housed in the housing 101 (the third state described above), extensions of the center lines 102z and 103z of the distal end 102a of the first core 102 and the distal end 103a of the second core 103 are contained in the diameter R4 of the fixing member 163.
As shown in fig. 2B, in a state where the tip 102a of the first core 102 and the tip 103a of the second core 103 are both accommodated in the housing 101 (the third state described above), the tip 102a of the first core 102 and the tip 103a of the second core 103 are located at positions farther from the through hole 163a of the fixing member 163.
As described above, when either one of the knock operation portions 120 or 130 is operated to slide toward the pen tip direction side, the corresponding first core 102 or second core 103 is first guided by the tapered surface of the through hole 163a of the fixing member 163 and is guided into the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161. In response to the sliding movement operation of either the click operation section 120 or 130, the tip 102a of the first core 102 or the tip 103a of the second core 103 penetrates the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161, and as shown in fig. 2(a), protrudes outward from the opening 101 a.
The first core 102 and the second core 103 of this embodiment can be bent in a direction intersecting the axial direction thereof.
In this example, the first core body 102 is a core of a commercially available ballpoint pen, and the distal end 102a is made of, for example, metal, and is made of a tubular member made of resin filled with black ink to feed the black ink to the distal end 102 a. It is known that the core of this ballpoint pen can be bent in a direction intersecting the axial direction thereof.
The second core 103 is an electronic pen core configured as a core of an electromagnetic induction type electronic pen. The electronic pen core is made of a relatively hard and elastic resin material such as POM (Polyoxymethylene), and can be bent in a direction intersecting with the axial direction thereof. The resin material constituting the second core 103 is selected to be equal to or substantially equal to the magnetic permeability of the ball-point pen core of the example of the first core 102 by including, for example, magnetic powder.
As described above, in the position indicator 100 of this embodiment, the one ferrite core 161 common to the first core 102 and the second core 103 is provided on one end side of the housing 101 serving as the pen point. Since the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161 is tapered, the first core 102 or the second core 103 is easily inserted into the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161.
In this embodiment, since the fixing member 163 for fixing the ferrite core 161 in the housing 101 also has the through hole 163a having the tapered inner wall surface, the first core 102 or the second core 103 can be easily introduced into the through hole 161a of the ferrite core 161 through the through hole 163a of the fixing member 163.
In this embodiment, although signals are exchanged between the sensor of the position detection device and the resonance circuit including the coil 162 wound around the ferrite core 161 and the capacitor provided on the printed circuit board 150, the resonance circuit is configured such that the tip 102a of the first core 102 or the tip 103a of the second core 103 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside, and the resonance circuit starts to operate when a predetermined or more pen pressure is applied to the protruding tip 102a or the tip 103 a.
Further, in the position indicator 100 of the present embodiment, by determining which of the pressure detection means 105 and 106 detects a predetermined pressure or more, it is possible to determine which of the distal end 102a of the first core 102 and the distal end 103a of the second core 103 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside. An electronic circuit that realizes the above functions is formed on the printed circuit board 150.
Example of Circuit configuration of position indicator 100 and example of Circuit configuration of position detecting device
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the electronic circuit 40 formed on the printed circuit board 150 of the position indicator 100 according to the embodiment together with an example of the circuit configuration of the position detecting device 200 that transmits and receives signals by electromagnetic induction coupling with the position indicator 100.
In this embodiment, the position indicator 100 transmits and receives a position detection signal by electromagnetic induction coupling with a conductor of a sensor of the position detection device 200, and transmits pen pressure information detected by the pen pressure detecting member 105 or 106, identification Information (ID) of the position indicator 100 itself, and identification Information (ID) of which of the first core 102 and the second core 103 protrudes from the opening 101a to the position detection device 200.
That is, in the electronic circuit 40 of the position indicator 100, the capacitor 401 connects the coil 162 wound around the ferrite core 161 in parallel to form the parallel resonant circuit 40R.
As shown in fig. 3, the electronic circuit 40 includes a control circuit 400 that controls transmission of the additional information. In this example, the control Circuit 400 is formed as an IC (Integrated Circuit). The IC constituting control circuit 400 operates based on power supply voltage Vcc obtained from electric double layer capacitor 410 as an example of the power storage unit. Then, an ac signal received from position detecting device 200 by electromagnetic coupling in parallel resonant circuit 40R is rectified by rectifier circuit 404 composed of diode 402 and capacitor 403, and is stored in electric double layer capacitor 410. In the example of fig. 3, the rectifier circuit 404 is a half-wave rectifier circuit, but may be a full-wave rectifier circuit. Note that the power source of control circuit 400 formed of an IC may be a battery, instead of a power storage unit such as electric double layer capacitor 410 in this example.
In this example, a switch circuit 405 that is always open (normally open) is provided between the parallel resonant circuit 40R and the rectifier circuit 404. The switch circuit 405 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor switch circuit, and is in a high impedance state when in an open state.
The switch circuit 405 is controlled to be turned on by a switch control signal from the switch control circuit 406. The switching control circuit 406 generates a switching control signal based on an ac signal received from the position detection device 200 through electromagnetic coupling in the parallel resonant circuit 40R.
In the electronic circuit 40, a switch circuit 407 is connected in parallel to a parallel resonant circuit 40R including the coil 162 and the capacitor 401. The switch circuit 407 is controlled to be turned on/off according to the control circuit 400. In addition, the control circuit 400 is supplied with the electromagnetic induction signal transmitted from the position detection device 200 via the capacitor 408 as a synchronization signal for transmission and reception of the electromagnetic induction signal with the position detection device 200.
In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, variable capacitors 105C and 106C including the pen pressure detecting means 105 and 106 are connected to the control circuit 400. The variable capacitors 105C and 106C are connected in parallel with resistors Ra and Rb, respectively. In this example, the control circuit 400 charges the variable capacitors 105C and 106C, then discharges the capacitors through the resistors Ra and Rb, and measures the time until the voltage of the terminals to which the variable capacitors 105C and 106C are connected (corresponding to the voltage across the variable capacitors 105C and 106C) reaches a predetermined threshold value, thereby measuring the electrostatic capacitances of the variable capacitors 105C and 106C, respectively.
The control circuit 400 detects a change in the writing pressure based on the measured change in the capacitance of the variable capacitors 105C and 106C, detects whether or not the writing pressure is applied to the first core 102 or the second core 103, and calculates the writing pressure value based on the capacitance values of the variable capacitors 105C and 106C when the writing pressure is detected to be applied.
In this embodiment, the control circuit 400 controls the on/off of the switch circuit 407 to transmit information on the calculated pressure value (pressure data) to the position detection device 200 as a multi-bit digital signal. In this embodiment, the stroke data constitutes part of the additional information.
Further, to the control circuit 400, in this example, an ID memory 409 is connected, and the ID memory 409 stores identification Information (ID) including a manufacturer number and a product number of the position indicator 100, identification information for identifying the first core 102 (in this example, a ball-point pen core) corresponding to the pressure detecting member 105, and identification information for identifying the second core 103 (in this example, an electronic pen core) corresponding to the pressure detecting member 106. The control circuit 400 reads the identification information stored in the ID memory 409, and controls the switching circuit 407 to be turned on/off, thereby transmitting the identification information to the position detection device 200 as a multi-bit digital signal. In this embodiment, the identification information also forms part of the additional information.
In this embodiment, the control circuit 400 determines whether the state in which the tip 102a of the first core 102 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside (first state), the state in which the tip 103a of the second core 103 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside (second state), or the state in which the tips of both cores 102 and 103 are accommodated in the housing 101 (third state). This determination is performed based on the pen pressure values detected by the pen pressure detecting means 105 and the pen pressure detecting means 106.
That is, in the third state of the position indicator 100, the tips of the two cores 102 and 103 are accommodated in the housing 101, and therefore, no pressure is applied to the cores 102 and 103. In the first state, the tip 102a of the first core 102 protrudes outward, but the pressure applied to the tip 102a is detected by the pressure detecting means 105. In the second state, the tip 103a of the second core 103 protrudes outward, but the pressure applied to the tip 103a is detected by the pressure detecting member 106.
In this example, when the pen pressure value increases by a predetermined threshold value or more from a state where the pen pressure is not applied, the control circuit 400 detects the increase and determines that the application of the pen pressure is started.
In this embodiment, when detecting that the application of the pen pressure to either the first core 102 or the second core 103 has not started, the control circuit 400 turns on the switching circuit 407 and sets the parallel resonant circuit 40R in the non-operating state. When detecting that the application of the pen pressure to either the first core 102 or the second core 103 has started, the control circuit 400 turns off the switch circuit 407 and sets the parallel resonant circuit 40R in an operating state.
Therefore, when a predetermined pen pressure is applied to the tip of the core in a state where the tip 102a of the first core 102 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside (first state) or a state where the tip 103a of the second core 103 protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside (second state), the signal exchange with the position detection device 200 is started based on the parallel resonant circuit 40R that has become the operating state.
In this state, when the capacitor 408 receives a synchronization signal from the position detection device, the control circuit 400 controls the on/off of the switching circuit 407 at a timing based on the synchronization signal, and transmits the pen pressure data and the identification information to the position detection device 200 as an ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation signal as described later. Alternatively, the ASK modulation may be replaced by OOK (On Off Keying) modulation.
In the position detection device 200, as shown in fig. 3, the X-axis direction loop coil group 211X and the Y-axis direction loop coil group 212Y are stacked to form a position detection coil. Each of the loop coil groups 211X and 212Y is formed of, for example, n and m rectangular loop coils. The loop coils constituting the loop coil groups 211X and 212Y are arranged so as to be sequentially overlapped with an equal interval therebetween.
The position detection device 200 is provided with a selection circuit 213 to which the X-axis direction loop coil group 211X and the Y-axis direction loop coil group 212Y are connected. The selection circuit 213 sequentially selects one loop coil of the 2 loop coil groups 211X and 212Y.
Further, the position detection device 200 is provided with an oscillator 221, a current driver 222, a switching connection circuit 223, a receiving amplifier 224, a detector 225, a low-pass filter 226, a sample-and-hold circuit 227, an a/D conversion circuit 228, and a processing control unit 229. The processing control unit 229 is constituted by a microcomputer, for example.
The oscillator 221 generates an alternating current signal of frequency f 0. The resonant frequency of the resonant circuit 40R of the position indicator 100 is selected to have the frequency f0 as the center frequency. Also, the alternating current signal generated in the oscillator 221 is supplied to the current driver 222. The current driver 222 converts the ac signal supplied from the oscillator 221 into a current and sends the current to the switching connection circuit 223. The switching connection circuit 223 switches connection destinations (a transmission-side terminal T and a reception-side terminal R) to which the loop coil selected by the selection circuit 213 is connected, under the control from the processing control unit 229. In this connection destination, the current driver 222 is connected to the transmission-side terminal T, and the reception amplifier 224 is connected to the reception-side terminal R.
The induced voltage generated in the loop coil selected by the selection circuit 213 is transmitted to the receiving amplifier 224 via the selection circuit 213 and the switch connection circuit 223. The reception amplifier 224 amplifies the induced voltage supplied from the loop coil and sends it to the detector 225.
The detector 225 detects a reception signal, which is an induced voltage generated in the loop coil, and sends the detected signal to the low-pass filter 226. The low-pass filter 226 has a cut-off frequency sufficiently lower than the frequency f0 described above, converts the output signal of the detector 225 into a direct-current signal, and sends the direct-current signal to the sample hold circuit 227. The sample hold circuit 227 holds a voltage value of the output signal of the low-pass filter 226 at a predetermined timing, specifically, at a predetermined timing in the reception period, and sends the voltage value to an a/D (Analog to Digital) conversion circuit 228. The a/D conversion circuit 228 converts the analog output of the sample hold circuit 227 into a digital signal, and sends the digital signal to the processing control unit 229.
The processing control unit 229 controls selection of the loop coil in the selection circuit 213, switching of the switching connection circuit 223, and timing of the sample hold circuit 227. The processing control unit 229 transmits electromagnetic induction signals from the X-axis direction loop coil group 211X and the Y-axis direction loop coil group 212Y for a fixed transmission duration based on the input signal from the a/D conversion circuit 228.
Induced voltages are generated in the respective loop coils of the X-axis direction loop coil group 211X and the Y-axis direction loop coil group 212Y based on electromagnetic induction signals transmitted from the position indicator 100. The processing control unit 229 calculates coordinate values of the indicated position of the position indicator 100 in the X axis direction and the Y axis direction based on the level of the voltage value of the induced voltage generated in each loop coil.
The processing control unit 229 supplies the current driver 222 with a signal for controlling the transmission signal to be interrupted and a signal for controlling the transmission signal level, and performs a process of receiving additional information such as pressure data and identification information from the position pointer 100. As described later, the processing control unit 229 detects an intermittent signal composed of an ASK signal from the position indicator 100 as a multi-bit digital signal, and detects additional information such as pressure data and identification information.
[ operation of the position indicator 100 and operation of the position detecting device 200 ]
The position detection operation and the transmission/reception of additional information between the position pointer 100 and the position detection device 200 will be described below.
The position detection device 200 transmits an ac signal of a transmission signal based on the process control of the process control unit 229. When the position indicator 100 is not in a state where the parallel resonant circuit 40R receives the ac signal from the position detection device 200 or the charging device, the switching circuit 405 is turned off and the electric double layer capacitor 410 is not charged. When the parallel resonant circuit 40R receives an ac signal from the position detection device 200 or the charging device, the switching circuit 405 is turned on to charge (store) the electric double layer capacitor 410.
In the position indicator 100 of the present embodiment, when either the first core 102 or the second core 103 does not protrude from the opening 101a of the housing 101 and no pen pressure is applied to either, the switch circuit 407 is turned on and the resonant circuit 40R is in a non-operating state.
When the knock operation portion 120 or 130 of the position indicator 100 is operated to make the tip 102a or the tip 103a of either the first core 102 or the second core 103 protrude outward from the opening 101a, and a pen pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined pen pressure value is applied to either the pen pressure detecting member 105 or 106, the resonance circuit 40R becomes an operating state. Thus, the position indicator 100 is in a state in which it can receive the ac signal from the position detection device 200 in the parallel resonant circuit 40R. When the user brings the position indicator 100 to the sensor of the position detection device 200, the parallel resonant circuit 40R can receive the ac signal from the position detection device 200 by electromagnetic inductive coupling.
Then, the switch control circuit 406 of the electronic circuit 40 of the position indicator 100 generates a switch control signal for turning on the switch circuit 405 based on the ac signal received by the parallel resonant circuit 40R from the sensor of the position detection device 200. Thus, when switching circuit 405 is turned on, the ac signal received by parallel resonant circuit 40R is rectified by rectifier circuit 404, and electric double-layer capacitor 410 is charged (stored).
Control circuit 400 operates in response to power supply voltage Vcc from electric double-layer capacitor 410. Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of the control circuit 400 of the electronic circuit 40 of the position indicator 100.
First, the control circuit 400 monitors a change in capacitance of the variable capacitors 105C and 106C formed by the pressure detecting members 105 and 106, and determines whether or not a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined value is applied to either the distal end 102a of the first core 102 or the distal end 103a of the second core 103 (step S101). When it is determined in step S101 that the application of the pen pressure equal to or higher than the predetermined value is not detected, the control circuit 400 turns on the switch circuit 407 and sets the resonance circuit 40R in the non-operating state (step S102). After step S102, the control circuit 400 returns the process to step S101, and repeats the processes after step S101.
When it is determined in step S101 that the application of the pen pressure of the predetermined value or more to either the tip 102a of the first core 102 or the tip 103a of the second core 103 is detected, the control circuit 400 turns off the switch circuit 407 and sets the resonance circuit 40R to the operating state (step S103). Then, the control circuit 400 determines whether the pen pressure detecting means 105 or 106 has detected that the pen pressure equal to or higher than the predetermined value is applied, thereby detecting whether the tip protrudes from the first core or the second core (step S104).
In the operating state of the resonant circuit 40R, the position indicator 100 operates such that a signal from the sensor of the position detection device 200 is received in the resonant circuit 40R and the received signal is fed back to the sensor of the position detection device 200. In the position detection device 200, the position indicated by the position indicator 100 is detected by receiving a feedback signal from the position indicator 100. When the timing of receiving the additional information from the position indicator 100 is reached, the position detection device 200 transmits the synchronization signal to the position indicator 100 as described above.
In the position pointer 100, the identification information of the core body and the identification information of the position pointer 100 itself detected in step S104 and the pen pressure value detected by the pen pressure detecting means 105 or 106 are generated as additional information based on the synchronization signal from the position detecting device 200. Then, the control circuit 400 controls the on/off of the switch circuit 407 based on the digital value of the generated additional information, and transmits the generated additional information from the position indicator 100 to the position detection device 200 (step S105). Further, the control circuit 400 reads out the identification information of the core body detected in step S104 from the ID memory 409.
At this time, when the switch circuit 407 is off, the parallel resonant circuit 40R resonates the ac signal transmitted from the position detection device 200, and can return the electromagnetic induction signal to the position detection device 200. The loop coil of the position detecting apparatus 200 receives an electromagnetic induction signal from the resonance circuit 40R of the position indicator 100. On the other hand, when the switch circuit 407 is turned on, the parallel resonant circuit 40R is in a state in which the resonant operation with respect to the ac signal from the position detection device 200 is prohibited, and therefore, the electromagnetic induction signal cannot be returned from the parallel resonant circuit 40R to the position detection device 200, and the loop coil of the position detection device 200 does not receive the signal from the position indicator 100.
In this example, the processing control unit 229 of the position detecting device 200 receives the additional information of the multi-bit digital signal by counting the number of bits of the additional information to detect the presence or absence of the received signal from the position indicator 100.
On the other hand, the control circuit 400 of the position indicator 100 generates a multi-bit digital signal corresponding to the additional information to be transmitted, and controls the switching circuit 407 to be turned on/off in synchronization with transmission and reception of the electromagnetic induction signal between the position detection device 200 based on the multi-bit digital signal. For example, when the bit of the additional information is "0", the switch circuit 407 is turned on. Thus, as described above, the electromagnetic induction signal cannot be returned from the position indicator 100 to the position detection device 200. On the other hand, when the bit of the additional information is "1", the switch circuit 407 is turned off. Then, as described above, an electromagnetic induction signal is returned from the position indicator 100 to the position detection device 200.
Therefore, the processing control unit 229 of the position detecting device 200 can receive the additional information as a digital signal by performing the detection of the presence or absence of the received signal from the position indicator 100 by the number of bits of the additional information.
Next, the control circuit 400 monitors the change in pen pressure based on the capacitance of the variable capacitor 105C or 106C formed by the pen pressure detecting means 105 or 106, and determines whether or not pen pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined value is not applied and disappears (step S106). When it is determined in step S106 that the pen pressure is applied and is not lost, the control circuit 400 returns the process to step S105, and repeats the processes after step S105.
When it is determined in step S106 that the pen pressure is not applied and disappears, the control circuit 400 determines whether or not the pen pressure disappearance state continues for a predetermined time or longer, for example, 10 seconds or longer (step S107), and when it is determined that the predetermined time or longer has not elapsed, returns the process to step S105, and repeats the processes after step S105. When it is determined in step S107 that the pen pressure disappearance state continues for a predetermined time or more, the control circuit 400 turns on the switch circuit 407 and sets the resonance circuit 40R in the non-operation state (step S108). After step S108, the control circuit 400 returns the process to step S101, and repeats the processes after step S101.
It is determined in step S107 that the sending of the additional information is not immediately stopped when the pen pressure is not applied and disappears, in consideration of the fact that the user continues the input on the sensor surface of the position detection device 200 by the position pointer 100, but the position pointer 100 is temporarily separated from the sensor surface.
In the position indicator 100 of the above-described embodiment, when the paper placed on the sensor of the position detection device is drawn by the ballpoint pen core as the first core 102 in a state where the tip 102a of the ballpoint pen core as the first core 102 is projected, the drawing locus can be detected as a detection result of the indicated position in the position detection device 200. Therefore, it is possible to draw a sheet of paper and acquire electronic data (instruction position data) of the drawing information.
When the display screen is placed on the top surface of the sensor of position detecting device 200 in an overlapping manner, the tip of the core can be brought into contact with the display screen without any problem by setting the electronic pen core as second core 103 to a protruding state, and the position indicator 100 can perform an instruction input.
In the position indicator 100 of the above-described embodiment, the core does not need to be configured as a cartridge including the pressure detecting means or the circuit component, and a ball-point pen refill or an electronic pen refill made of resin can be used as it is. Therefore, the position indicator 100 of the above-described embodiment can be configured at low cost, and the cost for replacing the core is also low.
[ modification of the above embodiment ]
In the above-described embodiment, the first core 102 is a ball-point pen core, and the second core 103 is an electronic pen core, but any core may be used as the first core and the second core 103. For example, the first core 102 and the second core 103 may be both formed as a ball-point pen core. In this case, the ball-point pen core of the first core 102 may be black ink, and the ball-point pen core of the second core may be red ink. Further, in the position detection device, since the identification information of the first core 102 and the second core 103 can be received, the electronic data (indicating position data) of the drawing information on each of the ball-point pen cores can be identified based on the identification information, and the drawing color can be included in the electronic data.
The first core 102 and the second core 103 may be used together as an electronic pen. At this time, functions such as a display color, a line type, and a line thickness assigned to the electronic pen core of the first core 102 and the electronic pen core of the second core can be discriminated by receiving the identification information of the first core 102 and the second core 103 as additional information from the position indicator 100 in the position detection device.
In addition, it is not an essential condition for the position indicator of the present invention that the identification information of the first core and the second core is transmitted to the position detecting device as additional information. As in the above-described embodiment, there is a case where the application is limited as in the case where the first core 102 is a ball-point pen core and the second core 103 is an electronic pen core, and it is not necessary to identify which core has the protruding tip on the position detection device side.
In the above-described embodiment, the resonance circuit is operated only when the pen pressure detecting means detects a pen pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined value, but the resonance circuit may be always in an operating state. At this time, in a hovering state before the position indicator 100 comes into contact with the sensor of the position detection device, the position of the position indicator 100 can be detected in the position detection device.
In the above-described embodiment, the detection of which of the first core and the second core has the tip protruding from the opening 101a to the outside uses the pen pressure value detected by the pen pressure detecting means, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a sensor member for detecting the sliding movement of the first core and the second core may be provided in a part of the core holder 104.
In the above-described embodiment, the pressure detection means is provided for each of the first core and the second core. However, when it is not detected which of the first core and the second core protrudes from the opening 101a to the outside based on the pressure value, the pressure detecting means may be provided in common to the first core and the second core. For example, a common single pressure detection member may be provided at a portion of the stopper 140, and a pressing force transmission member having a recess portion to be fitted into the cutout grooves 124 and 134 of the knock operation portions 120 and 130 may be provided so as to be fitted into the common single pressure detection member.
[ other embodiments ]
The above-described embodiment is a case of the position indicator of the electromagnetic induction type, but the present invention can also be applied to a position indicator of a so-called active electrostatic type which is provided with a signal transmission circuit. At this time, a resonance circuit including the coil 162 wound around the ferrite core 161 and the capacitor 401 provided on the printed circuit board 150 constitutes a part of a charging circuit of an electromagnetic induction system, and the signal transmission circuit is driven in accordance with a power supply voltage from the rechargeable battery.
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the circuit configuration of the active electrostatic type position indicator 100ES and the position detecting device 500 used together with the position indicator 100 ES. The position indicator 100ES includes a rechargeable battery (not shown) and a signal transmission circuit 170. The signal transmission circuit 170 includes a control circuit corresponding to the control circuit 400 of the position indicator 100 according to the above-described embodiment.
The signal transmission circuit 170 incorporates an oscillator (not shown), and a transmission signal from the signal transmission circuit 170 is transmitted to the position detection device 500 through a core serving as a conductor. Therefore, in the case of the position indicator of this example, the cores are each formed of a conductive material.
In the position indicator 100 of the above-described embodiment, the resonant circuit 40R is used to exchange signals with the position detection device 200, but in the position indicator 100ES of this example, a signal is sent from the signaling circuit 170 through the core whose tip selectively protrudes from the opening 101a of the housing 101 by the core selection means, and in other points, the position indicator is configured similarly to the position indicator 100. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same portions as those of the position indicator 100 of the above-described embodiment.
The sensor 510 of the position detection device 500 that receives a signal by being capacitively coupled to the position indicator 100ES of this example has the following configuration: as shown in fig. 5, the sensor pattern formed by crossing the first conductor group and the second conductor group is used to receive the signal transmitted from the position indicator 100ES, detect the position indicated by the position indicator 100ES, and receive additional information.
The group of first conductors includes, for example, a plurality of first conductors 511Y extending in the lateral direction (X-axis direction)1、511Y2、…、511Ym(m is an integer of 1 or more) are arranged in parallel in the Y-axis direction at predetermined intervals.
In addition, the set of second conductors will follow the first conductor 511Y1、511Y2、…、511YmA plurality of second conductors 512X extending in a direction crossing the extending direction of (b), in this example, in a vertical direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to each other1、512X2、…、512Xn(n is an integer of 1 or more) are arranged in parallel in the X-axis direction at predetermined intervals from each other.
The position detection device 500 includes a selection circuit 521, an amplification circuit 522, a band-pass filter 523, a detection circuit 524, a sample-and-hold circuit 525, an AD (Analog to Digital) conversion circuit 526, and a control circuit 527, which serve as input/output interfaces with the sensor 510.
The selection circuit 521 selects one conductor from the group of first conductors and the group of second conductors, respectively, based on a control signal from the control circuit 527. The conductor selected by the selection circuit 521 is connected to the amplification circuit 522, and the signal from the position indicator 100ES is detected through the selected conductor and amplified by the amplification circuit 522. The output of the amplification circuit 522 is supplied to the band-pass filter 523, and only the component of the frequency of the signal transmitted from the position indicator 100ES is extracted.
The output signal of the band-pass filter 523 is detected by a detector circuit 524. The output signal of the detector circuit 524 is supplied to a sample-and-hold circuit 525, sample-and-hold at a predetermined timing based on the sample signal from the control circuit 527, and then converted into a digital value by an AD conversion circuit 526. The digital data from the AD conversion circuit 526 is read by the control circuit 527 and processed.
The control circuit 527 operates according to a program stored in the internal ROM to send control signals to the sample hold circuit 525, the AD conversion circuit 526, and the selection circuit 521, respectively. Further, the control circuit 527 calculates the position coordinates on the sensor 510 indicated by the position indicator 100ES from the digital data from the AD conversion circuit 526. In addition, the additional information sent from the position indicator 100ES is demodulated based on the digital data from the AD conversion circuit 526.
Fig. 6 is a timing chart for explaining signals of a predetermined pattern received by the sensor 510 of the position detecting device 500 from the position indicator 100ES of the transmission type according to the present embodiment. In the position indicator 100ES of this embodiment, the control circuit of the signal transmission circuit 170 repeatedly outputs a signal of a predetermined pattern composed of a position detection signal and additional information.
Fig. 6 a is a diagram showing an example of a control signal from the control circuit of the signaling circuit 170, and the signaling signal from the signaling circuit 170 is continuously transmitted as a burst signal (continuous transmission period in fig. 6C) as shown in fig. 6B during a fixed period in which the high level is maintained.
In this continuous transmission period, the control circuit of the signal transmission circuit 170 detects the value of the pressure applied to the core body whose tip protrudes from the opening 101a as a value corresponding to the capacitance of the variable capacitors 105C and 106C formed by the pressure detection means 105 and 106 by the same method as that described in the position indicator 100 of the above-described embodiment, and obtains the value of the pressure as a value (binary code) of a plurality of bits, for example, 10 bits.
The control circuit of the signaling circuit 170 controls the signaling circuit 170 so that the same multi-bit additional information as that of the position indicator 100 described above is sequentially transmitted following the start signal. The control circuit of the signaling circuit 170 repeatedly transmits a signal having a pattern of the continuous transmission period and the transmission data period as described above.
As described above, according to the position indicator 100ES of this example, the same operational advantages as those of the position indicator 100 of the above-described embodiment can be obtained also in the capacitive type electronic pen of the transmission type.
Further, by providing the signal transmission circuit in the electronic circuit 40, when it is detected that the tip of the core made of a conductor protrudes from the opening 101a of the housing 101 to the outside, the signal from the signal transmission circuit of the electronic circuit 40 is transmitted through the conductive core, the tip of which protrudes to the outside, and thus the position indicator can be used in both the electrostatic capacitance system and the electromagnetic induction system.
[ other embodiments and modifications ]
In the above-described embodiment, the pressure detecting means is used in patent documents: the pen pressure detection unit having a known structure described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2011-186803 has a structure of a variable capacitor whose electrostatic capacitance changes in response to a pen pressure, but is not limited thereto, and for example, a structure using a semiconductor element whose electrostatic capacitance changes in response to a pen pressure, which is disclosed in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2013-161307, may be used.
In the above-described embodiment, the number of the cores housed in the case is 2, but it goes without saying that the number of the cores may be 2 or more.
Description of the reference symbols
100 … position indicator, 101 … casing, 102 … first core, 103 … second core, 105, 106 … pressure detection member, 120, 130 … knocking operation portion, 150 … printed circuit board, 161 … ferrite core, 162 … coil, 163 … fixing member, 401 … constitute a capacitor of a resonance circuit.

Claims (10)

1. A position indicator is characterized by comprising:
a cylindrical housing having an opening at one end;
a plurality of cores housed within the housing;
a core selection mechanism portion that selectively projects at least a tip end of one of the plurality of cores from the opening portion;
a magnetic core disposed on the one end side of the case having the opening and around which a coil is wound;
a capacitor that constitutes a resonance circuit together with the coil, the resonance circuit being used to exchange signals between the position indicator and a sensor of a position detection device used together with the position indicator; and
a plurality of pressure detection portions that are respectively fitted to corresponding ones of the plurality of cores at an end portion of the cores on a side opposite to the leading end, and that detect a pressure applied to each of the plurality of cores,
the magnetic core has a through hole into which one of the plurality of core bodies can be inserted and passed and which communicates with the opening portion,
the core selected by the core selection mechanism is not located at a position separated from the through hole of the core, and at least the tip of the core selected by the core selection mechanism protrudes from the opening to the outside through the through hole,
the position indicator further includes a control circuit that sets the resonance circuit in an operating state when any of the plurality of pressure detection units detects a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and sets the resonance circuit in a non-operating state when all of the plurality of pressure detection units do not detect a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined value.
2. The position indicator of claim 1,
the through hole of the core is selected such that a diameter of a side into which the core is inserted is larger than a diameter of a side communicating with the opening.
3. The position indicator of claim 2,
the through hole of the core is formed in a tapered shape that gradually tapers as approaching the opening portion side from the side of insertion into the core.
4. The position indicator of claim 2 or 3,
the core is bent in a direction intersecting with an axial direction so as to be inserted through the through hole while being guided along an inner wall surface of the through hole of the core.
5. The position indicator of claim 1,
a fixing member provided on an insertion side of the core body of the magnetic core and fixing the magnetic core to the one end side of the housing,
the fixing member has a through hole having a central axis identical to a central axis of the through hole, and the through hole of the fixing member is selected such that a diameter of a side into which the core is inserted is larger than a diameter of a side communicating with the through hole of the core.
6. The position indicator of claim 1,
at least one of the plurality of cores is a refill for a ball point pen containing ink.
7. The position indicator of claim 1,
at least one of the plurality of cores is composed of a resin material.
8. The position indicator of claim 7,
the core body of the resin material has the same magnetic permeability as a refill for a ballpoint pen containing ink.
9. The position indicator of claim 1,
the resonance circuit is operable when at least a tip of one of the plurality of cores is selectively projected from the opening by the core selection mechanism.
10. The position indicator of claim 1,
the circuit comprises the following circuits: one of the plurality of cores is made of a conductive material, and a signal is transmitted through the core made of the conductive material.
CN201680004386.0A 2015-01-30 2016-01-12 Position indicator Active CN107111379B (en)

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US20170341458A1 (en) 2017-11-30
KR20170106361A (en) 2017-09-20
EP3252571B1 (en) 2021-03-03
EP3252571A1 (en) 2017-12-06
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KR102390692B1 (en) 2022-04-26
WO2016121478A1 (en) 2016-08-04

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